1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for the specific detection of phosphatidylinositol within a model membrane such as liposomes or a cellular system such as T lymphocytes.
2. Prior Disclosure
The following abbreviations used in this application are intended to have the following meaning: Con A (concanavalin A); PL (phospholipid); DMPC (dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine); PI (phosphatidylinositol); .alpha.-MM (.alpha.-methyl mannoside); HBS (Hank's balanced salt solution); and MEM (minimum essential medium).
All publications or patents mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference.
Applicants reported in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol. 74, page 208 (1977) that Con A could bind specifically to liposomes containing phospholipids but lacking glycoconjugates. Lectins, such as Con A, have been used extensively to probe mammlian cell structures and to study lymphocyte mitogenesis and numerous other cell functions. Generally, it has been believed by the scientific community that Con A binds to mannose (or glucose) which are the specific receptors for Con A on the cell surface.